I’m not the one to take to social media to make a political or argumentative statement. As a matter of fact, if you make a political statement it will be argumentative in a matter of seconds. I have watched and read so much about the protesting by athletes during the National Anthem and have just a few thoughts. Let me start by saying that they have every right as Americans because of the freedoms gained and granted to them to do so. I fully support that right while totally disagreeing with them doing so.As a pastor and more importantly as a Christian, I am very disappointed in so many things that our government has done. I will just mention one of those for now. When our Supreme Court decided to redefine marriage I was very upset even oppressed. How could any person or entity have the nerve to change something that God Himself instituted? Marriage is not of man’s making. God instituted and clearly defined marriage. He even resided over the first union. I ask you, should I as a Christian protest this decision by taking a knee when the National Anthem is played?Let me take this a step further. What about the believers in the Bible days. Were not the Christians under Roman oppression? God told them to “Render unto Caesar what is Caesars’s but unto God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). We are also told to be in subjection to our authorities in Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-25. So that leads me to another question. If the athletes claim to be Christians should they be taking a knee? Should they stand and respect the country and show their concerns in another way? Maybe they could kneel together in prayer.As I have already said, I am very disappointed in many things our country and our leaders have done but I am very proud to be an American. We still live in the greatest country in this world! I believe that if we would take a knee together before the almighty God, He will bless us and heal this broken land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”

Happy New Year!! We can be happy if we know Jesus and His great salvation. And it gets even better...we can be made new! No not our bodies; at least not now. We are a new creation in Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come". We need to remember that we are a work in progress and God isn't through with us yet. Like the parable of the potter, we have to be submissive to his hands as He molds us into what he desires us to be. Sometimes He has to squish us down and start over. Sometimes He has to remove impurities to make us into that beautiful vessel. It can be painful, but we will be something beautiful and that we know. God Bless!

How many times have you been told or read “Happy Holidays” in the last few days? Sounds great doesn’t it? Sure it does if you agree with the pc crowd. We certainly don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or offend someone now do we? I sure hope you are picking up on my sarcasm as you are reading this article. You see, we can have a happy holiday but only if we understand what it means to have a merry Christmas.

What is it that makes you happy? I have learned in my life that good news makes me happy. Nothing beats hearing a great report when things look gloomy. It’s also nice to experience joy in our lives. Joyous occasions always lift my spirits and bring me happiness. With that said, I have some wonderful news for you! As a matter of fact, even a cartoon character knows where true happiness comes from. Remember “A Charlie Brown Christmas” when Linus stepped out on the stage and quoted from Luke 1:8-14? That is our answer.

Luke 1:8-14 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (NASB)

This Christmas I pray that you will not only know the Christmas story but you will come to know the Christ in the story. Without Him there is no “happy holidays”. When you understand the good news contained in the Christmas story and trust Him as your savior, you then will truly have a very Merry Christmas! Your greeting will be changed to Merry Christmas because your heart will be a Bethlehem where the Savior will be born. Your holidays will then be truly happy! God bless you all and to all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I can remember as a small child the excitement of Christmas time. The greatest joy for a child is the anticipation of receiving gifts from parents and grandparents! One Christmas, when I was about twelve, I remember begging my parents for a drum set. I so wanted to be the next Ringo Starr! I woke up early Christmas morning (as children do) to find a red snare drum and a pair of sticks under the tree. My step-father had done the best he could do and made sure I had a drum. It wasn’t a complete set, but it was ready and waiting to be beat upon.

By the end of the day everyone in our house wash marching to the beat of my drum! My mother was washing dishes to my cadence. My brothers and sisters were stepping and walking to my beat (with hands over their ears of course). This was truly a great gift, one of the best that I had received up to that point. Of course a couple of years later I received the greatest gift ever. It wasn’t at Christmas but in February of 76’ that I received Jesus and the free gift of eternal life.

Fast forward about a dozen years. Now married with 3 children I remember Marsha and our 3 wonderful children singing a song together in church at Christmas time. The song was Sandi Patti’s song. The title was “The Gift Goes On”. I am reminded when I hear this song (and yes we have a recording of Marsha and the kids) that we have been given the greatest gift of all and we need to pass that gift on to others. There is no greater gift that you can give to someone this Christmas or any time of year.

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Here are the lyrics to the song. Look it up on youtube and watch and listen for a blessing.

The Father gave the Son The Son gave the Spirit The Spirit gives us life So we can give the Gift of love And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on Don't you love to get a present wrapped up in a Christmas bow God gave each of us a present on that night so long ago It's a Gift that keeps on giving if our spirits can receive It's the secret joy of living if our hearts can just believe And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on and on and on And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on And the Gift goes on and on and on When your life is full of Christmas then your life is full of love You can give away the present that began with God above Just like ripples in the water the circles of our love extend What was started with the Father is a Gift that has no end

Marsha and I just got back from an amazing cruise to Cozumel, Belize and Isla Roatan. It was a wonderful vacation that included some valuable life lessons. We did an excursion to a private island in Belize. There we did a little snorkeling. At least everybody else in the group did! We were issued gear that included flippers, a snorkel, mask, and a life vest. It started off bad. My vest was broken so they quickly found me a child’s vest to wear around my waist (insert your own joke here). As we ventured 300 feet out into the ocean, I discovered a couple of other flaws. My mask and snorkel were for a child also. It was so small that the snorkel, when put into my mouth, would pull my head to the left causing me to swim in circles. That was quickly replaced by the man following us in a kayak. As I started to lay with my face under water to enjoy the beautiful sights below the ocean I felt a tap on the back of my head. I looked over my shoulder and there it was as clear as day…a shark!! No wait, that’s not a shark…that’s my flippers. You see, they were defective and would not go under water. Not only that, the new mask would fill with water because it wouldn’t seal. Finally, I called the man in the kayak over and handed over my equipment 300 feet from dry land. I told him that the equipment was going to be the end of me due to drowning! To make a long story short, I got to tread water and swim around in the ocean without seeing the beauties below…all for the low price of $80. I was quickly reminded of the story of David when he went to fight Goliath. You see, King Saul tried to give him weapons and armor for the fight that would ultimately be the demise of David. However, God provided just what David needed for the battle and gave him the victory! Let’s remember that old saying, “If God leads us to it then He will get us through it”. You can trust God. He will never let you down!

Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Freedom is a wonderful thing! I am so thankful to be a citizen of the greatest country on the face of the earth. Born in the USA is a marvelous thing for sure. With that said, I do realize that our nation is going through a major change. Our freedoms are under attack. I encourage believers to be praying and be obedient to God’s Word and His recipe for revival for His people.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Now, with Independence Day just a few days away, let me tell you how you can know and experience the greatest freedom ever. God’s Word tells us that before we come to know Christ (and be known by Him) that we are slaves to and even dead in our trespasses and sin (Romans 6:22; Ephesians 2:1). Jesus came to set us free. Just like our freedom as a nation came by men giving their lives, Jesus laid down His life on the cross to pay the ultimate price for our sins. He rose again on the third day, thus validating who He is and our redemption through Him! So if you desire real and lasting freedom, I encourage you to believe in Jesus and put your faith only in Him for salvation today (John 14:6; 1 John 5:10-13; Romans 10:9-10). You then will be able to celebrate true freedom. And though our freedoms as a nation are in times of peril, the freedom that you have from sin and hell will never be taken away. God bless and remember the source of true freedom as we celebrate the July 4th.

I have recently been under great conviction concerning the church and its growth. We certainly have too many churches that are stagnant. And what is really sad is that most of the members are content with that. The body of Christ should never be satisfied with the “status quo”. I am convinced of a couple of things. If the members of our local church would be faithful in attendance, we would be having a seating problem. And more importantly, if we were faithful to be the obedient church that God has called us to be, we would see souls saved and amazing growth in numbers. We then would move from a seating problem to a square footage problem.

So why is this entitled “bomb” you ask? Well bomb in this case stands for “bring our members back”. We are starting a little drive to be faithful to God and encourage all of our members to get involved in worship and Sunday school. On October 25th we will have high attendance day. I would love to see members here on that day that haven’t been here for some time. I would also like to see members who haven’t been enrolled in Sunday school to get involved on that day.

That day will be our “eating” Sunday. You don’t have to worry about lunch. Bring a covered dish, enjoy worship, and stay for a great day of fellowship and celebration. Remember…let’s BOMB! God bless!

We will celebrate Independence Day this Saturday. I thought I would share a few points from a sermon that I preached a couple of years ago. We should support and pray for our government as flawed as it is. Pray for Capitol Hill but above all else seek and trust in Calvary’s Hill. Listen to what the psalmist said:

Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth”

What Hill are you—God’s child, looking to!

Capitol Hill—manCalvary’s Hill—God!

1. Capitol Hill is the seat of our power and authority

vCalvary’s Hill is the place where All Power was given

2. Capitol Hill represents the Law

vCalvary’s Hill represents God’s Grace

3. Capitol Hill is the place where our leader lives

vCalvary’s Hill is where our Saviour died

4. Capitol Hill is a place for people to take a vacation

vCalvary’s Hill is the place where people find salvation

5. Capitol Hill is for keeping our nation from chaos

vCalvary’s Hill is for keeping my soul from hell

6. Capitol Hill is where we can make our voices heard

vCalvary’s Hill is what allows my prayers to be heard

7. Capitol Hill interprets the laws of the land

vCalvary’s Hill fulfilled the Laws of God

8. Capitol Hill provides national defense

vCalvary’s Hill provides complete victory

9. Capitol Hill provides liberty and justice

vCalvary’s Hill provides Mercy & Grace

10. Capitol Hill provides social security in our old age

vCalvary’s Hill provides eternal security beyond this age

11. The Power of Capitol Hill is in the Law

vThe Power of Calvary’s Hill is Grace

12. The Power of Capitol Hill is in the Military

vThe Power of Calvary’s Hill is the Blood of Jesus

13. The Power of Capitol Hill is a Presidential Veto

vThe Power of Calvary’s Hill is God’s Forgiveness

WHERE DO YOU LOOK FOR HELP?

1. In the face of war and confusion

vCapitol Hill or Calvary’s Hill

2. In times of strife and worry

vCapitol Hill or Calvary’s Hill

3. When life’s Taliban invades your world

vCapitol Hill or Calvary’s Hill

4. When that evil Terrorist...Satan...threatens your peace

vCapitol Hill or Calvary’s Hill

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence comes my help…..MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD!

It’s not just the hill that is important….but it is the One Who made the hill! David tells us in that Psalm that his help comes from God. No one else...nothing else...BUT GOD!

WHEN MOSES WAS CORNERED AT THE RED SEA...HE DID NOT CALL FOR THE ARMY……HE CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN JOSHUA WENT UP AGAINST THE CITY OF JERICHO….HE DID NOT USE BOMBS…HE CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN THE HEBREW BOYS WERE FACING A FIERY DEATH...THEY DID NOT CALL FOR FIREMEN…THEY CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN DANIEL WAS ABOUT TO BECOME THE MAIN COURSE IN THE LION DENS….HE DID NOT CALL ON ANIMAL CONTROL….HE CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN ESTHER WAS FACED WITH SEEING HER PEOPLE DESTROYED BECAUSE OF PREJUDICE….SHE DID NOT CALL THE A.C.L.U…SHE CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN NEHEMIAH SAW THE CITY OF JERUSALEM DESTROYED AND IN RUINS….HE DID NOT CALL THE CITY PLANNERS….HE CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN PETER STARTED TO SINK AFTER WALKING ON THE WATER…..HE DID NOT CALL THE COAST GUARD….HE CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE WERE STRUGGLING UNDER THE SLAVE MASTERS WHIP….THEY DID NOT CALL ON THE ATTORNEY GENERAL…..THEY CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN DR. MARTIN L. KING FOUGHT FOR THE HUMANITY OF ALL MEN….HE DID NOT CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT….HE CALLED ON GOD!

WHEN MY SOUL WAS LOST, SINKING IN SIN….WHEN I WAS DYING AND HEADED TO HELL….I DID NOT CALL ON CAPITOL HILL….I CALLED ON GOD...I CALLED ON THE LORD!

CAPITOL HILL CAN GIVE YOU PEACE… BUT CALVARY’S HILL CAN GIVE YOU PEACE THAT PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING….

CAPITOL HILL CAN GIVE YOU MONEY…. BUT CALVARY’S HILL CAN GIVE YOU LIFE, AND GIVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY….

CAPITOL HILL CAN GIVE YOU LEADERS… BUT CALVARY’S HILL GAVE ME A SAVIOUR!

CAPITOL HILL WANTS ME TO PAY TAXES… BUT ON CALVARY’S HILL HE PAID IT ALL!!!

ON A HILL FAR AWAY...STOOD AN OLD RUGGED CROSS…

THE EMBLEM OF SUFFERING AND SHAME….AND I LOVE THAT OLD CROSS..

WHERE THE DEAREST AND BEST...FOR A WORLD OF LOST SINNERS WAS SLAIN….

O THAT OLD RUGGED CROSS SO DESPISED BY THE WORLD….HAS A WONDEROUS ATTRACTION FOR ME.

FOR THE DEAR LAMB OF GOD, LEFT HIS GLORY ABOVE...TO BEAR IT ON DARK CALVARY!

SO I WILL CHERISH THE OLD RUGGED CROSS...TILL MY TROPHIES AT LAST I LAY DOWN;

I WILL CLING TO THE OLD RUGGED CROSS,...AND EXCHANGE IT SOMEDAY FOR A CROWN!

We all know the story of the little boy (Johnny) who brought the Easter egg to school as and assignment by the teacher. She told the students to bring a plastic Easter egg with something inside it that represents new life. The other kids had their eggs opened by the teacher and they contained such things as butterflies, sprouting seeds and even a little stone with moss on it. But when she opened Johnny’s egg is was empty. She quickly asked him how this represented new life. Johnny proudly told her that it was empty just like Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning. There is no better illustration of new life than the empty tomb. As a matter of fact, had Jesus not risen from the dead, we would remain dead in our trespasses and sin with no chance of a new and eternal life. Because of that glorious Easter morning we now can be filled with new life. This life can only be found in Jesus Christ. I also want to share a little teachingwith you in this blog. I read this recently. It wass written by Warren Wiersbe

“If Jesus had of entered into one of our modern cities, leading the parade, He would have been arrested immediately. He would be a wanted man. The FDA would want Him for turning water into wine without a license; the EPA for killing fig trees; the AMA for practicing medicine without a license; the Dept. of Health for asking people to open graves, for raising the dead and for feeding 5000 people in the wilderness without a food permit; the NEA for teaching without a certificate; OSHA for walking on water without a lifejacket; the SPCA for driving hogs into the sea; the NATIONAL BOARD OF PSYCHIATRISTS for giving advice on how to live a guilt free life; the N.O.W. for not choosing a woman disciple; the ABORTION RIGHTS LEAGUE for saying that whoever harms children, it is better that they had never been born; the INTERFAITH MOVEMENT for condemning all other religions, and by the ZONING DEPT. for building mansions without a permit.” Warren Wiersbe

Valentine’s Day is here. Love is in the air! I think of the many expressions of love that we will see during this time. Roses, cards and chocolates. And the one thing most commonly seen is the gift in the shape of a heart. You know as I think upon Valentine’s and all of this love stuff, I can’t help but think about my Savior and His love for me and you. It also involves our hearts. When we meet Jesus and fall in love with Him, we give Him our hearts. We can’t physically give Him the organ out of our chests but we invite Him into our hearts (our person, our life) to live. Ephesians 3:17 says, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;…”.2 Corinthians 13:5 says “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-unless indeed you fail the test?”

So this Valentine’s Day as you buy that special gift for that special someone, make sure that you have made the greatest love gift exchange ever; the one that will last throughout eternity. Give your heart to Jesus as He gives you the free gift of eternal salvation.

A mulligan is second chance to perform an action, usually after the first chance went wrong through bad luck or a blunder. Its best-known meaning is in golf whereby a player is informally allowed to replay a stroke (though this is against the formal rules of golf). This is the definition according to Wikipedia. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had mulligans in every other event in our lives? Man, Marsha would be the happiest wife on earth if this husband had unlimited mulligans! Well fortunately she does give me a lot of second chances. Now think about God and our Christian life. God gives us unlimited mulligans. He is a God of second, third and never-ending do-overs. Many of us have made New Year resolutions. The most common is to lose weight. I used to say every year that I was going to lose 25lbs. This year my resolution is to not gain 25lbs! LOL On a serious note, let’s (as believers) look at 2015 as a chance to live our best year yet for the Lord. I want to be a better pastor. I want to be a better Christian. I want to be a better husband, father and grandfather. To make and keep this resolution we have to commit ourselves to God. We have to be determined to let Jesus live His life through us. You see, only the Holy Spirit living through you can make your mulligan count for the best year ever for God. Will you make this your commitment today?

Yes I know that you spell “presents” differently than the title of this blog. I was sitting here in the office thinking about Christmas and what is so great about it. Of course, the greatest thing about it is the greatest present/gift every given and that was Jesus. Isaiah 9:6 tells us that a child would be born but a Son would be given to us. How awesome is that? Not only would we be blessed by Jesus being born as a child and living to die for us. But the prophecy says that “a Son would be given to us”. This speaks of His pre-existence as God, His deity! The gift was God giving Himself to us and for us! I hope you have received that gift. It is totally free or it wouldn’t be a gift.

As far the “presence” part, of course I am thankful for His presence with me and His promise to never leave me. But I want to focus on another great gift and blessing from God. I am speaking of my family. I am looking forward to Christmas because Marsha and I will have the gift of the presence of our family. If I never pull the ribbon off of and rip the paper from a package this year all will be well. The present I will enjoy will be family presence. Thank you Lord for my salvation and my precious family! God bless you all and I wish you the Merriest of Christmases. Enjoy presence with Jesus and your loved ones this year.

Well Turkey day is almost here. That special time that we cook enough to feed an army and then try our best to eat it all. Many will gather round the table and give thanks for the food and a few other things. Wouldn’t it be nice if we were sincerely thankful everyday of our lives? I can’t help but think of a little child. You know how someone gives them a gift or a piece of candy and the parent looks at the child and says, “Now what do you say?” The parent continues to prod the child until he says thank you. I wonder how many will sit together at the table next week and say thank you to God because they feel they have to or are supposed to? Let me encourage you to count your many blessings this Thanksgiving. Let me also encourage you to begin today counting your blessings and giving thanks everyday…with a sincere heart! God is good. He knows our needs before we even ask Him. He also knows what is best for us. He will provide and take care of us.

We have the right to vote. Today is general election day and I would encourage you to exercise that right. I will not use this blog to tell you who to vote for. But then again, I shouldn’t have to do that. I will tell you that when you go (and even before) that you would be in full prayer mode. Most people will tell you to vote your convictions. I will not do that. I will tell you to vote for the candidates that the Holy Spirit leads you to vote for. Our country is in a time of bottomed out morals. We have turned so far from God! As Christians, we can make a difference. This country was intended to be a Christian nation (see *mayflower compact) and so Christians need to take a stand, and with the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit, make a change to this wonderful nation.

I do love sports. Well most of them anyway. I am a huge NASCAR fan and I was raised up around local dirt track racing. I am a fan of football, basketball and baseball on the high school and professional levels. At all levels and in all sports you can see some pretty fanatical fans! I would say that if you went without a shirt to paint your body to become a human sign in below freezing weather that you were pretty zealous about what you were supporting. Some might just say that you are crazy! By the way, fanatic is pretty close to lunatic! On game days it is pretty easy to tell who is pulling for whom. The team colors are everywhere. We went to a NASCAR race in Fort Worth this past year and it was amazing to see the people sporting their favorite driver by numbers and colors. You don’t have to get people to tell you who they are pulling for because everything about them shows it. The funny thing is, as fanatical as they are, they are still just called fans.

By comparison, if we become fans of Jesus with a little zeal, we are labeled as fanatics. My opinion? Let’s become real fanatics for Jesus. You see, the football fan doesn’t mind you knowing who he is cheering for in the stadium. He is also just as supportive of his team outside the stadium and on days that his team isn’t playing. We Christians seem to only support our Lord and His cause when we are gathered together in the sanctuary. Let’s get busy bragging on Jesus to the world. I hear so many people bragging about their team being the best. Then I hear so many excuses about why they lost that game. Believers listen up, Jesus is the best! He has won the victory for us for all times. He will never be dethroned. We never have nor ever will have to make excuses for Him! Let’s break out the megaphones. Let’s fly His colors. There is no other and there is none greater! Rah Rah Ree, let’s praise Him with glee!

Let me start this blog by requesting prayer for my step-father and step-brother as they are both in Dallas hospitals with illnesses. I have a few little pet peeves as do most people. One of those is people who refuse to wash their hands especially after a restroom trip! I remember years ago serving as associate pastor to James Seigler in Savoy and learning a valuable lesson. We made many hospital visits together. He never failed to wash his hands as we were leaving. He would always tell me to do the same. I remember one visit in particular as we were leaving he stepped in to wash his hands. He said you better wash your hands. I asked him why and he told me “because you don’t want to catch what they’ve got” (referring to the one we just visited). I looked at him and said, “But we are in the maternity ward”. He looked at me and said, “I rest my case”! I’ve never failed to wash my hands when leaving a hospital since that day. They all have hand sanitizer available everywhere also. Monday I went to Dallas to Presbyterian Hospital to make a visit. As I was leaving I heard on the radio that there was the possibility that one of the patients had Ebola. Sure enough it was confirmed on Tuesday. As the CDC was doing their news conference about the case, I kept hearing that the spread of this virus can be defended against by simply washing your hands. Ironically, as I went to the restroom that day I noticed a man who came in for a rest stop. As he turned to leave he stopped at the sink, looked into the mirror and did a little maintenance on his hair, and then turned and walked out without even turning the water on.

When I put this into spiritual perspective, I see this all the time. I am even guilty of it many times. We know as Christians that we many times need a spiritual cleansing. I’m not talking about salvation (a washing of regeneration) but confessing and repenting of the sins that we commit that affects our fellowship with God. Just like when Jesus washed His disciples feet. He did make reference to the washing of salvation. But he told the disciple that there were times when they just needed their feet washed after they were made clean by a spiritual bath. There are times when we get off of the beaten path for God and we go (sin) where we shouldn’t. It is at those times that we need to wash our hands or let God wash our feet if you will. It is great to know that He will never run out of cleansing and forgiving power no matter how many times we sin. Just like the hospitals that have sanitizer dispensers everywhere, God will dispense His great forgiveness and cleansing power to us wherever we are.

“There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stain.”

Marsha and I had the privilege of going to Salado this past weekend to do a wedding. The wedding wasn’t until 5:30pm Saturday so we took advantage of some free time and visited the shops in the little town. We walked into a little shop that had one wall covered with glass containers of flavored coffee beans. Man did it smell good! We were greeted by the worker who told us to take the lid off of each container and get a sniff of it. We enjoyed some really great sniffing and snorting together! We finally decided on a coffee that we wanted to buy. We selected the Chocolate covered Strawberry flavor. However, there must have been 30 other flavors that we passed on. I’m sure any of them would have been a good choice because they smelt wonderful.

As we left the little store I was reminded of the different types of worship services that our churches have and in particular the variety of music types that we use. Now let me just say this first, I love the old hymns and the contemporary praise and worship. The problem is that we choose our place of worship many times by sniffing the lid to decide which one we like. And in most cases we go in with the attitude that “I like straight black coffee” and Foldgers is the best. I am not even going to try anything new.

You know, I like to ask folks what type of music is best for worship services just to hear their answers. Problem is, most folks begin their answer with “Well, I like this type”. You see, that’s the problem right there. It’s not what we like. It is what God likes. That brings me to another little problem. When someone tells you that God prefers this type or that type of music then they are just as wrong. How do we know what God likes? Personally, I don’t think God is interested in either “type” of music. He is listening to our hearts. Which ever type of music we prefer or use should come from the heart. You can have the greatest praise and worship or the best old gospel hymns but if they aren’t coming from a sincere heart of love and true worship to God then both types are just a bunch of noise.

Just for the record, I am a regular black coffee guy. No cream, no sugar, just coffee. However, I did brew up some of the chocolate covered strawberry coffee this morning. It really wasn’t that bad. Of course I drank it black. I guess I am sweet enough and don’t require any extra sugar! God Bless!!

Do you have a smart phone? Of course you do. If you don’t, you are out of the loop. I truly love my Galaxy S5. It does so many things. Of course, I don’t use very many things on it at all. I make and receive calls and do a little (very slow) texting. And there seems to be an app for everything. Marsha and I have been eating healthy and currently dieting so we have taken up brisk walking and some jogging. As a matter of fact we do 3.5 miles about 4-5 days a week. We do the 3.5 miles in 60 minutes and burn around 300 calories. How do I know this? I have an app that tells me. We also have an app that we use for our diet. It takes all of our profile info and we put in how much we want to lose per week and presto…it tells us how many calories per day we can have. Our phones use GPS to track our every step thru our walking app. It even has a nice lady that encourages us and keeps us posted on how we are doing. If that isn’t enough, it will even check your heart rate! I did notice a little glitch the other day. You see, the walking app that uses the GPS will track your every step all down long and report it to you. Our goal is to take 10,000 steps a day. Back to the glitch. Marsha was mowing our lawn (on a riding mower) and when she finished, it showed that she had taken around 3000 steps that she didn’t take but got credit for! We figured it had to be due to the bouncing around of the seat as she was mowing. I thought to myself, this is great; I will just bounce my phone around as I am driving down the road and get all my steps in about 10 minutes of driving. Even if that would work it would benefit me absolutely zero.

All of this reminds me that God is our GPS system. He tracks our every step. There is no glitch in His amazing system. He also has the greatest app of all. It is called the Bible. It is powered by the Holy Spirit. Why don’t you download it into your life and try it out. It is truly a free app. Then you can begin walking in Him. You will find encouragement in His Word. Oh, and it will benefit you greatly. Get spiritually fit today!

Short, slow and not that talented. I guess that pretty much described me as a 14 year old boy (pretty sure it still applies). I loved the sport of basketball as a young boy. I was excited when Jack Neely asked me to come with him to Emmanuel Baptist Church in Terrell. He said I could play on the basketball team there. I was in! It was there that I met the pastor, D. Casey Perry. I remember one Saturday after a basketball game that Brother Perry gave us a ride back to the church. He took me into his office and began to share with me about Jesus. I remember the little yellow tract (The Four Spiritual Laws) that he read to me that day. First, it says that

“God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for you life”. That got my attention for sure. We all want to be loved. I knew that I was unlovable at best. By the time Brother Perry read to me the second law “Man is sinful and separated from God” I was under conviction and in tears.

On that Saturday in 1976 I realized that Jesus loved me, died (in my place) a vicarious death and wanted to forgive me and save me. The ball was now in my court. I am so glad I chose Jesus as my Savior that day! Just like in basketball, I haven’t always played my best or made great choices. Many times I have just sat on the bench. Many more times I didn’t even suit up for the game. But this I know, I have always been on the team! I also know that there is a great day coming when all who are on Christ’s team will be awarded the trophy. There is no second place. Will I deserve it? Absolutely not. But because of God’s amazing grace I will receive the prize.

If you haven’t joined Jesus’ team I would encourage you to do so today. Need to know more about how to do just that? Just follow this link to read the Four Spiritual Laws. http://www.joyfulministry.org/laws.pdf

Questions? Find the link to my email under my picture on the “Ministry Staff” page. Or you can rest your cursor on the “Home” link and a “Contact Us” link will appear.

Do you ever catch yourself thinking back on the great things that have happened in your life? I was sitting in my office this morning trying to think of a blog for this week. I kept thinking, “This is Marsha’s fault”. You see, it was her idea for me to start a blog. So, I looked up and the first thing I see is her beautiful face looking at me from her bridal picture. Soon to be 34 years of marriage and she is still as beautiful as the day we met!

So, I began to ponder on the marriage thing. I have had the privilege of doing 7 weddings this year so far and closing in on 200 since my first one in 89’. As I think back, I have never seen an ugly bride. I’ve never seen the groom raise the veil and put it back down real fast after the scream! I love to watch the groom as his bride walks down the aisle. In most cases, he hasn’t seen her all day and not that well made up! The Bible tells us (church) that we are the bride of Christ. One day we will be presented to Him in a marriage that will truly be made in Heaven. We will be presented to Him spotless and without wrinkles (Ephesians 5:22-33)! Imagine that. No super magic cream can make us wrinkle free like God can!

Marriage is an awesome thing and requires a great commitment. Marriage is a union that is to be unbroken. It is becoming one. Unfortunately, here on this earth, we don’t always honor the vows we make to one another in marriage. Many of the almost 200 I have married have divorced. But when the marriage in Heaven takes place we will be one with Christ and that union will never and can never be broken! Have you prepared for that wonderful day? Have you trusted Jesus and Him alone as your saviour?? The wedding music is playing. The Groom is about to enter to receive His bride. The wedding is closer than ever!

Unless you have been under a rock or just totally out of touch with the world you have heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge. It is amazing how these challenges hit facebook and then go viral in no time. I have seen some wild videos of people taking the challenge. Some guys screamed like girls and some girls took it “like a man”! I have seen some have the bucket dumped on them before they were ready and some have the bucket dumped on them and they weren’t even taking the challenge. Most of those taking the challenge were not concerned about their appearance before or after the cold awakening shower.

I wonder if we could get a “Worship Attendance Challenge” to go viral? Wouldn’t it be great if we took that much concern and effort and put it toward serving and praising the One who took the greatest challenge ever. The challenge that Jesus took required Him to die a vicarious death. The Bible says that the “wages of sin is death”. So we owed a debt that we just couldn’t pay. However, Jesus took the challenge. He left His rightful place in Heaven, became a man, and paid the debt with His life and blood. Salvation is now free for “whoever believes in Him” and the atonement He made.

Now, the least we could do is accept the challenge of worshiping Him and attending Sunday School to learn more about Him. We don’t have to worry about the way we look or what others might think. Jesus accepts us just as we are. I am challenging you today to accept Him and be faithful to Him. Will you accept and challenge someone else? God Bless!

I have had the pleasure of serving in 6 churches since I surrendered to the ministry almost 29 years ago. Of these 6 churches I have been the pastor of 3 of them and served as interim pastor of one of the others. Most of these have been rural churches with First Baptist of New Baden being the most rural. I am reminded of a song from the 70's by a group called “Love Song”. The name of the song is “Little Country Church”. Here is the song: Little Country Church (Chuck Girard/Fred Field)

Little country church on the edge of town Doo-do- do-dn-do-do-do People comin' everyday from miles around For meetin's and for Sunday school And it's very plain to see It's not the way it used to be

Preacher isn't talkin' 'bout religion no more He just wants to praise the Lord People aren't as stuffy as they were before They just want to praise the Lord And it's very plain to see It's not the way it used to be

They're talkin' 'bout revival and the need for love That little church has come alive Workin' with each other for the common good Puttin' all the past aside Long hair, short hair, some coats and ties People finally comin' around Lookin' past the hair and straight into the eyes People finally comin' around And it's very plain to see It's not the way it used to be

I catch myself singing this song (at least to myself) a lot. It reminds me of our little church on the edge of Franklin. I know, as pastor, I don't want to be tied down by religion. I just want to praise the Lord. Religion is man trying to reach up to and appease a holy God. Let me just say that you'll never do that my friends. Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is God reaching down to man through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

When I go to worship I don't want to try to do something religious or ritualistic to try and earn my salvation or impress God. I want to go and praise the One who loved me and gave Himself for me. I want to lift up Him who accepts me just as I am. I don't want to get caught up in long hair or short hair. I don't want ties or suits to be an issue (I don't care if you wear them or not).

As you read this blog I pray that you will see my heart. These things I have said are based on personal conviction and have no reflection on any other church or ministry but First Baptist New Baden and the pastorate that God has blessed me with there. If you ever visit the “Little Country Church” on the edge of town I pray that you will feel welcomed just as you are and that you will experience Jesus Christ in an amazing way. As a matter of fact, when you experience Him, there is no other way to describe Him but amazing! God bless you.

Is an “oxymoron” someone who is dumb as an ox? No an oxymoron is a figure of speech that juxtaposes elements that appear to be contradictory. Oxymora appear in a variety of contexts, including inadvertent errors (such as "ground pilot"). Being the food critic (not really, I’m only critical if the portions aren’t big enough) that I am, I’ve always thought that “jumbo shrimp” should be an oxymoron! This past Friday Marsha and I were shopping in Bealls. I noticed (in the ladies section) a tag on a shirt that had P/XL on it. I had to ask and was told that it stood for Petite/Extra Large! Seriously!?! Shouldn’t they just put ST on it for “stumpy”?? What does this have to do with a spiritual blog you ask? Glad you asked. As I think about the encounter between David and Goliath, I can’t help but think about it being a spiritual oxymoron. I see it as a “jumbo shrimp” battle. You see, Saul and his army saw Goliath as jumbo but David (in the power and might of the Lord) saw him as a shrimp! Remember when obstacles stand in our way, and they will, we need to see them as God sees them. Trust Him, because the battle belongs to the Lord. Those obstacles that appear jumbo will become shrimp. They will go from obstacles to opportunity.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

Let me start by saying WELCOME to my blog. Thanks for taking the time to read these words. I pray that they will be an inspiration. I have been putting off starting this blog for too long now. This morning as I was sitting in my office I realized that everyday I put it off would just be another day that I missed out on something new. Wow, that was a ton of bricks that just fell on my head! How often do we procrastinate when it comes to doing God's business? How many times have we missed out on God's blessings or maybe being a blessing because we find so many other things to do for ourselves or maybe just doing nothing? We break God's heart when we are unwilling to come to Him or render service unto Him. The greatest and worst form of procrastination is putting off Salvation. God loves you. If you have never trusted your life to Him and accepted His great salvation by faith through His amazing grace, I would encourage you to do so before it is too late. Don't put it off!

Matthew 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."

Giving Announcement

We now offer online giving through our website.

The hope and prayer of our church is that offering online giving will help us to accomplish a couple of things.

First, it will allow flexibility to our members and others to give how they want, regardless of the day or time. You will be able to give your tithes and offerings online. With the online giving you can use a check or credit or debit card.

Second, it will help all of us better develop a habit of giving. Online giving is going to help us be better stewards by offering you the opportunity to give on a regular basis. You will also be able to set up recurring tithes and offerings.

The hope and prayer of our church staff and myself is that offering online giving will allow us to accomplish a couple of things.

First, it will provide the flexibility for our members to give how they want to, regardless of day or time. You’ll be able to give your tithes and offerings in several different ways. We have a link on our website where you can give. You can also give on our mobile giving app, via text message, or at the kiosks in the lobby that some of you may have already seen. Part of the flexibility we are giving you is the payment method you use to give. Of course, you’ll still be able to give via a check, even through our online giving platform. You can also give with a credit or debit card with any of the giving mediums I mentioned above.

Second, it will help all of us better develop a habit of giving regularly. Online giving is going to help us be better stewards by affording you the opportunity to give on a regular basis. You will be able to set up recurring tithes and offerings. How many of you pay bills online? (Show of hands) This is much the same, but it’s not just paying a bill. It’s being obedient to God and fulfilling what He calls us to do.

The hope and prayer of our church staff and myself is that offering online giving will allow us to accomplish a couple of things.

First, it will provide the flexibility for our members to give how they want to, regardless of day or time. You’ll be able to give your tithes and offerings in several different ways. We have a link on our website where you can give. You can also give on our mobile giving app, via text message, or at the kiosks in the lobby that some of you may have already seen. Part of the flexibility we are giving you is the payment method you use to give. Of course, you’ll still be able to give via a check, even through our online giving platform. You can also give with a credit or debit card with any of the giving mediums I mentioned above.

Second, it will help all of us better develop a habit of giving regularly. Online giving is going to help us be better stewards by affording you the opportunity to give on a regular basis. You will be able to set up recurring tithes and offerings. How many of you pay bills online? (Show of hands) This is much the same, but it’s not just paying a bill. It’s being obedient to God and fulfilling what He calls us to do.

The hope and prayer of our church staff and myself is that offering online giving will allow us to accomplish a couple of things.

First, it will provide the flexibility for our members to give how they want to, regardless of day or time. You’ll be able to give your tithes and offerings in several different ways. We have a link on our website where you can give. You can also give on our mobile giving app, via text message, or at the kiosks in the lobby that some of you may have already seen. Part of the flexibility we are giving you is the payment method you use to give. Of course, you’ll still be able to give via a check, even through our online giving platform. You can also give with a credit or debit card with any of the giving mediums I mentioned above.

Second, it will help all of us better develop a habit of giving regularly. Online giving is going to help us be better stewards by affording you the opportunity to give on a regular basis. You will be able to set up recurring tithes and offerings. How many of you pay bills online? (Show of hands) This is much the same, but it’s not just paying a bill. It’s being obedient to God and fulfilling what He calls us to do.

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I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.